What if we stopped looking for approval in spaces that weren't built for us? What if we started craving our own reflections instead? 🤎✨
A month before Black History Month, I’m reflecting on the power of "presence" over "perfection." This is a reminder to every Black girl that your beauty isn't a snapshot—it's your history, your strength, and your light.
Teach Them to Stare Differently
there are two kinds of beauty—
and the kind that refuses to let you look away.
I thought she meant flawless skin,
the kind that halts a room.
Society sold us snapshots.
Taught us beauty was a waistline,
a flawless face, a filter.
Made models of mannequins
But what if we taught them different?
What if dark-skinned girls grew up
craving mirrors, not approval?
What if likes were given for light—
when a woman knows her worth?
Show them beauty isn’t in how much skin you show,
but in how much self you keep.
Let them stare, not because you're posed,
but because you're powerful.
Teach them to redefine beautiful—
as kindness that doesn’t bend,
and love that starts from within.
Because this world needs more than curated confidence.
It needs women who stare back.
You can find this poem and more in my collection, Two Faces, One Flame. Available now:
Amazon.com: Two Faces, One Flame: A Mirror For The Women Still Becoming: 9798273053977: Love, Asma: Books
https://www.etsy.com/listing/4403320106/two-faces-one-flame-empowering-poetry?ls=r&ref=hp_rv-1&content_source=9b7c7eb0e171ea4a55e3d24f7a20cbe3%253ALT83311e5776aff552ca204f1d12591f564488623a&logging_key=9b7c7eb0e171ea4a55e3d24f7a20cbe3%3ALT83311e5776aff552ca204f1d12591f564488623a